will 400w of led challenge a 1000w hps???

no a 400w led will not match a 1000w hps. ive seen test comparisons where a 360w led went up against a 400w hps. and the yields were very close to the same. there are pluses and minuses to both light sources. i ran a 350w led unit for a yr and a half and had to suppliment it with 4 105w cfls. i am now running 2 400w cmh bulbs in the same area with better results.

The LED grow light extravaganza has a long way to go before it can compete with commercial production lights. Many argue that the difference in HID lighting is in the bulb (and wattage of course.).. but all of the commercial grows I've come across ( I am NOT a seller/distributor myself, though I am drawn to any situation involving cannabis) have used multiple 600 watt industrial (construciton sites, hardware stores, storm lighting, etc.) fixtures... of course that requires minimal electrical knowledge (which I do not posess); which bring me to my point. - Obviously there is MUCH potential in LED grow lighting, or else DNA Genetics, Reserva Privada (same company) would know better than to experiment with them... but they are, check em out, they're even making seed runs with them. Which is okay because so far I have never heard a negative word about DNA & I happen to love the strains I've gotten from them in the past (Lemon Skunk ((champion strain)), R.K.S. ("Really Killer Skunk.") I'm a bit of a talker so let me try and get my opinion out before I get trolled- LED lighting is very promising and is actually very useful at present times (only if you have millions of dollars to spend on them) but the price is coming from the research and trial/error of different spectrum combinations... once the 'new car smell' wears off of them then they will become affordable to the common man, just like video game systems- when xBox 360 first came out they were upwards of 500 dollars- faaar too much for the regular workin' man to be able to afford, but as any avid gamer knows, "wait a few months and it will be cheaper.." once the prices have gone down, that man then goes home proudly toting a brand new xBox knowing he paid only 1/2 the price that the 1st-chance consumers paid. I guess what I'm saying is that "good things come to those who wait", once the trend dies down and the color spectrum have been all but perfected then I believe the LED's will be a top-notch choice for grow lighting (assuming the rumors of their efficiency for growing are true.) Hopefully it's not just hype (which I don't think it is) because they could become more intense (from a plants perspective) than HID lighting (??), cheaper to run than a CFL or Fluoro (as if they aren't cheap enough) and the heat a LED puts off is absolutely minimal. I have not hav=d the chance to run one myself, as the current models are waay too expensive for the regular guy (if he plans to buy one that would do any good.) I would advise anyone to steer clear of the cheapies on eBay, it's hard to pass up a good deal but the 'good' LED lights are just too dang expensive at the current time. I'm sure 5-10 years down the road LED's will be the way of the future. ..My 2pennies.

BTW- I have a great tutorial of how to build (DIY) a custom LED panel, using any spectrum, any watt bulbs, etc. as you choose. If anybody is interested then write me, message me, whatever just get in touch and I'll post it for you or send it your way. Making a DIY panel seems far cheaper than buying a panel (you don't want any unless you want to spend at least 5-600 dollars.) This gives you many options and if you know much about plants & light color spectrum you could come out with a panel far better than the ones offered on the net and in grow shops.

Love you RIU!!

Originally Posted by brewing up

does it matter what make you have realy or just wattage?? :-/

It goes both ways, some companies lie about wattage... seriously go check your hid light, amperes X voltage is the actual wattage- making 400 watt HID lights actually around 435 watts (not too much of a difference, but this goes for all electronics.) Amps X volts= true wattage, most electronic devices have both on a label somewhere on them. The make has mostly to do with efficiency, reliability, quality control and lifespan. Since we're talking LED's here, you can't say (or listen to people who say) that the bulb is what matters most but in LED's the spectrum (the various combinations/ratio of red, blue and sometimes pink/purple bulblets) are what matter most, IMO. These are just things I've picked up from buddies who grow LED style, so don't bash me if I'm a little off- I don't post information unless I am at least 99% sure it is accurate, or is something I've had hands-on experience with.

My advice is: say you're in a situation where you could get an LED light from company 1 (we'll call company X for the example) that advertised 425 watts for $200, or you could get it form company 2 ((company Z) whom is known to be a 'better' brand) whom advertises a 400 watt panel for $225... then if I were you (which I obviously am not, lol) I would go for the more expensive panel; the more generic companies are more likely to 'bend the truth' about there products, so company Z would likely be a better quality product and you wouldn't have as much 'truth-bending' in the product description. Everybody has heard "you get what you pay for" but that is only true in that sense around 60% of the time, from my experience.

Don't let my reputation on RIU, or my 'friends' (lack thereof), fool you, I am an experienced grower. I have been growing nearly 8 years, in all kinds of different set-ups, different nutrient companies, different lighting and even different regions, indoors and out.

Originally Posted by Sir.Ganga

The day LED's become better than the HID family is the day hell freezes over!

Sadly that day is a loooong way away

Happily you are wrong. In the year since I bought my HO T5, leds have come a very looooong way.

Diodes are improving almost as fast as computing power. The newest Crees are about to change the game. There are several led mfgs who have broken new ground; EVO, Han's panel from ledgrow.eu, and if you want a kit www.RapidLED.com

All great for small personal use growers, but those looking for 1000 w replacements, leds are still too expensive, though once you factor in the added expense of systems to extract the radiant heat and the electrical savings, bulb replacement costs, the gap narrows pretty quickly

An even balance between the two I've seen good grows with the blasckstars but not with anything cheaper

I dont think it would even be close to a fair comparison.

we are years off, leds are shit..................................

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  we are years off, leds are shit..................................
  
  
  
  

i duno like alot of 3w leds add up